Architects: Marco  Dellavalle, Lorenzo Bartoletti

Category: Urban Planning

Date: 2009–2013

City: Basiglio (Milan)

Tags: Urban Planning, urban pole, sustainability

Urban design

Basiglio is a particular town. Within the vast territory of the South Milan Agricultural Park, the historical nucleus of the municipality is small and clearly agricultural in structure, consolidated only with some recent residential additions. At the same time, the predominantly residential area of Milano 3 has been built north of this nucleus on the northern borders of the municipal territory, initially as a green alternative to the traditional city and now a residential district of considerable size with some service functions and some major problems in terms of structure and organization. The need is realized straight away for the territory to redefine its position and the conception of its being structured in this way.

In order to maintain the agricultural characteristic of the territory and strenghthen the main urban centrality, the idea is to transform the image of Milano 3 from a garden city on the outskirts to the central urban pole of a broader territory including the boundaries of the neighbouring towns.

Through the plan’s investment in some areas of transformation and with the mechanism of compensatory implementation and the granting of transformation rights only in return for marked public benefit, the plan makes it possible to achieve some goals. First of all, to solve precise and private problems (e.g. the financial contribution to be asked of condominiums for an improved supply of energy in line with the town’s environmental sustainability targets), secondly to make good the infrastructural failings of non-residential functions (by increasing the parking space and designing a more efficient road system), and above all to create a centre of services of broader interest capable of repositioning the nucleus of Milano 3 and enhancing its urban potential.